Day 44: Book heaven

Being grateful for my local library:

Hello, my name is Helen and I am a bookworm 😊

Ever since falling in love with reading at a young age, settling down with a good book has been one of my favourite pastimes. In fact, English Literature classes were my favourite times at school, and was my chosen subject for ‘A’ Level and undergraduate degree.

I find being able to completely escape into a different world simply magical.

And I especially adore it when I connect with a character or two – Precious Romatswe of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series, is one of my all time favourites. For me, one of the signs of a good book is missing the characters long after I’ve read the last page.

It was my current financial constraints which initially forced me to seek out my local library and I’m so happy it did! I’ve rediscovered what an amazing gift libraries are to the community, and have realised just how lucky we are to have such a wonderful free public service here in the UK.

My local library was built in 1886, and there’s something so soothing about this charming building. A world away from the hustle and bustle, it’s an oasis of calm. And there’s something so magical about stepping into this sacred space filled to the brim with stories and adventures.

I love slowly perusing the shelves in search of a new title. And as I grab a handful of potentials, I sit in one of the little chairs tucked away in the library’s nooks and crannys to read the first pages to see if I want to read on.

As well as loaning books, CDs and DVDs, libraries run book clubs, kids clubs, talks, and so many other community programmes giving us plenty of reasons to use them more.

And with our libraries under threat, I do so wish they were more appreciated and utilised more to help keep this wonderful service alive.

And of course, whenever I return books I can’t resist hiding a message on one of my Kindness Cards inside for the next borrower to find.

So with this in mind, my happy for today is being grateful for my local library.

Missing the characters after the last page is such a wonderful way of putting into words how I also feel about ending a good story. Reading is learning, and frees my mind to detach from the problems of the day and travel without stress into another time or place with strangers who reveal their innermost feelings. Librarians have a special place in my heart as I’ve used them for reference material. They are the all knowing guardians of these temples of wisdom, depositories of knowledge, and keepers of secret worlds yet to be discovered. Thanks for reminding me to utilize my own library even more.